


A Little Can Go a Long Way

by aidoruhakase



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 19:23:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20376829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidoruhakase/pseuds/aidoruhakase
Summary: Hilda overhears some people talking about Marianne's looks and takes matters into her own hands.





	A Little Can Go a Long Way

**Author's Note:**

> what's proofreading i've never heard of it

"Marianne always looks so tired, doesn't she?"

"Is she drinking enough water? I heard that helps."

"I've heard she stays up praying every night. Being pious is to be praised, but..."

"Are you sure we can rely on her in combat? Going into battle exhausted can cost lives."

It tired Hilda out, hearing people whisper about Marianne like that. It was always the same stupid thing, and this morning was no different. She had passed some students from the Black Eagles on her way to the dining hall talking the usual talk. Something about a training drill gone wrong. "I doubt any of them have even been on a mission with her. If they spent five minutes with her, they'd know how capable she is..."

Sure, she is a bit clumsy, but that has nothing to do with exhaustion, or being tired! When it comes down to it, she's more reliable than anyone. How hard was that to see? Plus, the clumsiness was...

Hilda angrily forked the last bits of breakfast, and stood up in a huff. That's it! Enough! There's a simple solution to this! It wasn't like her to get worked up, but Marianne always made her feel...different, to say the least. She could feel the stares of everyone else in the hall as she stormed out the door, heading straight to where she knew Marianne would be.

It was a super short walk to the stables, but her chest was pounding by the time she turned the corner. Why? Anger? Not being used to wanting to be the helper? Something else? She drove the question out of her mind, and took a deep breath when she saw her. Of course she was here. It was really only three places. The stables, the cathedral, and near the classrooms. Marianne was predictable, but Hilda could appreciate it. She spent her free time doing what she wanted. Nothing wrong with that.

She was turned away, but Marianne was unmistakable, even from behind. That soft blue hair, done up in her usual slightly messy braid. There was something endearing about how the braid was so well constructed, with a few hairs sticking out here and there. It was very Marianne. It was very cute.

Hilda felt her voice catch in her throat as she tried to call out Marianne's name. She didn't want to impose, or seem rude, because what she was about to do could definitely be thought of that way. But honestly, that was just her usual excuse. When it came to Marianne, she couldn't help but want to help. The feeling would fade in seconds, as soon as she could hear that soft, calming voice. And when she approached, she did.

Hilda couldn't hear what she was saying, but she was speaking, for sure. She was talking to the horses again. Hilda has seen Marianne doing this plenty of times before, and couldn't help but try it herself, once or twice. It was calming to be able to talk to someone who didn't respond, or judge, so she saw the appeal. Especially for Marianne, when everyone was always...

She felt the frustration swell up again. It gave her the push to speak. Her voice came out, peppy as always, defaulting to that well-trained cheer. "Marianne! Good morning!" She nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. Hilda saw her take a deep breath as she turned slowly to face her. "Ah, Hilda. Good morning." Her face was the same as always. Mouth sullen, those ever-present eye circles making it seem like she hadn't slept in days. "Is...something wrong?"

Hilda was staring. "Ah, sorry. Marianne, are you busy? I wanted to show you something." "No, not really. I was just...thinking. What is it?" "It's, well, it's in my room. It's a surprise." Hilda's words baffled even herself. "A...surprise?" She felt like the clumsy one today. "Yeah! I think you'll like it." She grabbed Marianne by the hand, trying to maintain her usual demeanor as best as possible. "C'mon, c'mon!" Hilda started walking slow, so Marianne could keep pace easy.

Eventually, her hand fell away as they started walking side-by-side. They kept small talk to a minimum on the way to her room. Hilda was the kind of person who liked to fill the silent spaces with words, but for Marianne's sake, she could stay quiet. The monastery was still waking up, so it was a tranquil walk. The weather was starting to cool down at this time of year, but the birds were still out in full force. It was nice to just be here, by her side like this.

It wasn't a particular long walk to the second floor of the dormitory, but it felt way longer than it usually did. Up the stairs, just past Marianne's own room, into Hilda's. Her room was probably not nearly as flashy as everyone thought it might be. She tended to keep it tidy, for her own sake. If she knew where everything was, it would make mornings just that much easier.

Marianne spoke up as Hilda closed the door. "So...what did you want to show me?" Hilda didn't really know how to approach the topic, now that she thought about it. "Marianne, doesn't it bother you, the way that people talk about you? About how you look tired all the time?" Her expression didn't change. As if she was used to the topic, nonplussed by it. "It's always been like that. Plus, they're right, after all." "Marianne, no they're not! They don't really know you!" Marianne looked away from Hilda. "No one does. But they're-"

Hilda felt her heart sink. "Marianne, stop. I didn't invite you to scold you, or give you advice, because I'm not any good at that, anyways. I just..." Marianne was still looking away. It hurt. Hilda wanted to yell. "Marianne, look at me! Please, just look up!" But she didn't.

Instead, staying as calm as she could, she brought up the reason she dragged Marianne here in the first place. "Look, have you ever heard of concealer?"

She looked up at Hilda. "The...makeup? I've heard of it, yes..." "And you've never tried it? It works really well." Hilda stepped further into the room, and started pulling out some of the tools of her trade from her vanity's drawers. Brushes, sponges, powders, gels, liquids. "I'm not nearly as good as you at things like that, Hilda. I just know the basics." Marianne's voice seemed almost sadder than usual. "Plus, concealer is for...people like me. You wouldn't need something like that. You're already so beautiful, Hilda."

Her heart couldn't help but jump at the words. Even if they were a bit of a lie. "Marianne, you see all this?" She gestured towards all the gear she had pulled out.

"This is me. This is my beauty. Under all this, I'm just another normal girl. Even my hair is...well, pink isn't exactly a regular hair color, now is it?" Hilda felt herself smiling, despite revealing some of her small truths to Marianne. It felt nice to say it out loud. Especially since it was to her.

"But...you always look incredible, and full of energy. Surely, you don't do this every day?" Marianne almost looked concerned. "I do. But I don't mind. It helps me act the way I do. Knowing I'm pretty helps keep a smile on my face, no matter how shallow that might sound."

"Um, so you think if I look pretty too, it might help me? I don't know, Hilda." Hilda sighed. "Marianne, no. You're already so beautiful. You don't need to do all the things I do." She said it. Out loud. "Ah, huh?" Marianne looked surprised to hear the words. Hilda was usually candid, despite sugar-coating her words, but this seemed to catch her off guard.

"I want to show you what I mean. Give me a minute." Hilda sat down at her vanity, grabbed one of the many liquids and a well-worn rag. The touch of the liquid on her skin started with a tingle, then a light burning sensation as she began to rub it all away. In front of Marianne, she started to remove the shell that guards her against the world.

She spoke through the process. "You'll see once I'm done, but we're more alike than you think. I have trouble sleeping too, a lot of nights. I worry about almost everything. About how I acted throughout that day, about my brother fighting at the border, about classes and the missions we go on. I worry about everyone in our class. I worry about you, Marianne, because..." She stopped, cutting off the sentence before finishing. "Either way, sleeping doesn't come easily to me, and it never has. I want to live my life how I want to, but I want everyone else to be happy too. That's why I do what I do. That's why I carry on my act, every day."

"And I never force people to do what they don't want to, or something they can't. I don't force people to help me, I ask them. If I don't want to do something, and someone else wants to, why wouldn't I let them take over for me? But when it comes to you..."

"Marianne, when it comes to you, I can't help but drop all that. I see you frowning, and I feel the need to turn it into a smile. I want to help you. I like helping you. So this..." Hilda put the rag down and looked at herself in the mirror for a long, few moments. Then she turned around to face Marianne.

"Marianne, this is the real me." The girl who sat in the chair was undoubtedly Hilda. Her hair was still up in her high, pink twin tails, and her smile was still just as genuine. But her face had changed. Her lips were dull, unremarkable pink. Her eyes seemed smaller. Her cheeks were flush, but not glowing.

And, under her always bright eyes, heavy dark circles had appeared.

"Look, we match." The normal girl said with a smile on her face.

Marianne's voice cracked, as she brought her hands up to her face. "Hilda..." Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. "You..."

"I know. I didn't have to. But like I said, I wanted to."

Marianne shook her head, and took in a deep breath, wiping her face with her sleeve. "No, it's not that. Hilda, you aren't just another normal girl. Even without it...you're still you." Hilda's smile grew even larger. "Thank you. It makes me happy that you think so." She felt her eyes start to water too. To hear Marianne say such kind things...it made her happier than anything. But even now, she wanted to keep up appearances. She blinked the tears away. At least she didn't have any makeup on to ruin if she couldn't keep them from falling.

"So, Marianne. How would you like to try?" Hilda grabbed the bottle of concealer from the table, and held it out with a smile. "I can put it on for you! Like my mom always said, 'A little can go a long way'!" Marianne nodded, but stayed silent. Her face was adorned by a soft smile that had finally peeked through. "Well then! Sit down and close your eyes, and your personal makeup artist will get to work!" Hilda stood up and spun the chair she was sitting in towards her, gesturing towards it.

Marianne followed her instructions. She sat down and closed her eyes, and Hilda knelt down in front of her. "You really are incredibly beautiful, you know..." Hilda whispered to her as she started to work. It was hard to stay focused, like this. From this close, she could really see all the features of her face in full detail. Her small, round nose. Her clear, silky skin. Her soft, pink lips.

Hilda shook her head and tried to keep it together. She applied the same concealer she used, because luckily they had a very similar skin tone. She wasn't used to applying it to someone else, so she took her time. Plus, with her hands shaking like they were, she had to. She worked to even out the tone, and make sure everything was nice and covered up, the same way she would do for herself.

And, soon enough, she was done. "Marianne, go ahead and open your eyes." Her eyelids fluttered open slowly, almost as if waking up from the shortest of naps. "H-how do I look?" She sounded nervous. "See for yourself." Hilda swiveled the chair around with Marianne still in it, towards the mirror. She gasped. "They're...gone." Her hands went to cover her mouth again. "H-hey now, don't start crying again! I'll have to reapply it if you do!"

At that, Marianne was tipped over the edge. And she started laughing. "Huh? Do you think it looks funny? I can redo it if you don't like it!" Marianne's laughter grew louder, and more vibrant. Hilda couldn't help but join in. Eventually, they had calmed down. The tears had started flowing, but they were very welcome tears.

Hilda had to touch up what she had done for Marianne, and spent some time reapplying her own makeup. She walked her through the whole process from start to finish, working with a hand that had years of practice. It took some a while to explain it all, but Hilda cherished every minute. After all, she didn't see that precious smile disappear for a moment.

Once Hilda finished the last step, her new student spoke up eagerly. "So, what's the next step?" Hilda responded without hesitating. "Well the hard part is done, so now comes the fun! The next step is to show off!" Hilda took Marianne's hand again, helping her to her feet. "S-show off?" Marianne couldn't help but let the nerves show on her face.

"Of course! Imagine, two beautiful women walking hand-in-hand through Garreg Mach! We'll be the talk of the entire monastery!" That beautiful smile returned as quickly as it faded. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad...as long as we can do it together." Marianne spoke gently, but clear. Hilda smiled back. "Of course. Marianne, let's go turn some heads!"


End file.
